About this project

$13,371

215

Beware the creatures of the night—They have lawyers! Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd have an unusual law practice: defending monsters and the supernaturally afflicted!

This 160-page fully four-color trade paperback contains seven stories featuring the attorneys and some of their most bizarre clients.

The Contents

The lead story, Zombie Wife (aka: “My Husband Killed Me and Now He Must Pay . . . Damages!”) focuses on Mary Lou Henderson, who has come back from the dead to sue her husband for “wrongful death” (he thinks he’s gotten away with murder!). See how “Gracie Nance” covers the case on “Trial TV.” (The story was originally serialized online.)

Next up is “Werewolves . . . and the Women Who Love Them.” In a segment of the “Dr. Fill Show,” a woman calling herself Diana X talks about her desires for a werewolf, “Larry T,” a client of Wolff & Byrd. (This story appeared in black and white in Supernatural Law #42.)

Also from issue #42 is “Stakeout,” in which the attorneys are at a home on Long Island trying to protect Christopher Leach, who has been “outed” as a vampire and is now being hounded by the press. That segues into “A Vampire in Hollywood,” as Leach decides to accept his vampire heritage and has gone off to LaLa Land to seek fame as the star of his own biopic. Wolff & Byrd tag along to negotiate his contract, but then end up having to defend Leach when he’s accused of murder! (This story appeared in black and white in issue #43.)

That is followed by “The Gods Must Be Litigious,” the longest story in the book. The Immortal Medusa has come to Earth and written a bestselling book, How to Talk to a Mortal (If You Must). During an author appearance, a detractor targets her with a pie, and she turns him to stone. He recovers but sues, and Wolff & Byrd take her case. They must also deal with cartoonist Red Thrall, who has been skewering The Medusa in his newspaper strip. Lawsuits fly—will Zeus have to descend from Mount Olympus to intervene? (This story originally appeared online; it was reprinted in black and white in paperback form, which is now out of print.)

The last two stories feature a demon and a witch. In “This Man, This Demon?” mild-mannered Corman Ferly is accused of turning into a demon on a subway train and injuring dozens of people.

And in “Something Wiccan” this way comes, wiccan Winter Thyme wants to stop the local Halloween parade because of its stereotypical treatment of witches. (The demon story originally appeared in black and white in The National Law Journal; the wiccan story originally appeared online.)

This book is the only way to get all of these stories in color, and the color work on these stories has received high praise.

The Foreword

The foreword to the book is being written by Michael Uslan, who has produced all the modern-era Batman movies beginning with Tim Burton's 1989 film. He has also produced a number of other films, has written comics including the recent Archie Marries Veronica, taught (with Roger Stern) the first accredited college course on the serious study of comics, and published his autobiography, The Boy Who Loved Batman, in 2011.

About the Project

Zombie Wife is a companion book to The Werewolf of New York, using the same cover and paper stock, and it is 7” x 10 ½”, the same size as the other Supernatural Law trades.

The money raised for the project will go toward the costs of printing and production of 1,000 copies of the book; production of premiums such as the trading cards, mousepad, calendar, T-shirt, pinup booklet, and Supernatural Law Companion; shipping; and Kickstarter and Amazon costs.

The idea is to have the book out in July, in time for Comic-Con in San Diego. That way many backers will be able to pick up their copies at the show.

The Backer Rewards

(Note that the backer reward levels are all named for characters in the book.)

In addition to the book itself, premiums include:

*A set of six trading cards, featuring the Supernatural Law cast. These will only be available to Kickstarter backers.

*A Supernatural Law mousepad. Stay tuned for the design.

*A pdf of The Werewolf of New York, the full-color 112-page Supernatural Law trade paperback published in 2013 wih the help of Kickstarter.

*A Zombie Wife T-shirt, with design taken from the cover of the book. It will be black with this design:

* A 2015 Supernatural Law calendar, with artwork taken from the stories in the book.

* A 32-page pinup booklet (comic book size) with color covers and black-and-white interior, that features drawings that comics pros have done of Wolff, Byrd, Mavis, and their clients over the years. Among artists to be included are Paul Pope, Frank Cho, Rick Geary, Roger Langridge, Shannon Wheeler, Donna Barr, Terry Moore, Michael T. Gilbert, Stan Sakai, Lea Hernandez, and Brian Michael Bendis.

Paul pinups: A page from Paul Pope, and color art for the back cover by Paul Guinan

*The 100-page Supernatural Law Companion (6” x 9”), which provides synopses and background on every issue of the Wolff & Byrd/Supernatural Law and Mavis comic books and books, plus information on other appearances of the characters, cover sketches, and other goodies.

*(Limited to 5 ALL GONE!) A handcrafted Supernatural Law pocket watch with fob; Wolff & Byrd are on one side and Mavis is on the other. These watches are made by Debbie Luccareni-Hogan and they include a necklace chain, a pocket watch chain, and a wooden box. These are absolutely beautiful and unique and we are fortunate to be able to get them from Miss Debbie.

New Level ADDED:

At the Desmond Vaughn level, you get the Supernatural Law Library: All seven current trade paperbacks plus Zombie Wife:

BACKER ADD-ONS

We've just added some add-ons! (May 2)

Here's how add-ons work: (1) Click on the "Manage Your Pledge" button for this project. (2) Increase your pledge in the Pledge Amount box by the total of the add-ons you want to add. (Do not change the tier you are currently pledged at, unless you really want to do so.) (3) At the end of the Kickstarter campaign you'll receive a survey that will allow you to indicate how you want the add-on money assigned, along with providing other information for fulfilling your pledge.

Werewolf pdf: At any level except Dr. Fill, add $10 to get a pdf of the 112-page 4-color graphic novel of The Werewolf of New York.

Another book: At any level, add $20 to get your choice of an additional Supernatural Law trade, choosing from Tales of Supernatural Law, The Soddyssey, Sonovawitch!, Vampire Brat, Mr. Negativity, or The Monsters Meet on Court Street.

The Supernatural Law Companion: At any level up through the $70 level, add $25 to get the Companion.

The Pinup Book: At any level up through the $70 level, add $25 to get the Companion.

Original painting: At any level, add $150 to your pledge, and Batton will do a 9" x 12" acrylic painting for you, with your choice of subject! You can request Wolff & Byrd, monsters, even superheroes. (Be aware that paintings take time, so fulfillment of this item may take longer than the promised date listed for your chosen level.) Here are some samples of past paintings:

We truly appreciate your support and hope you will let all your friends and colleagues know about this project. The book is howling to see print! And when you get your copy, you'll howl--with laughter!

Risks and challenges

The biggest challenge will be to get the book produced in time for the San Diego Comic-Con in July. The Kickstarter campaign ends in mid-May and the book must go to the printer by the end of May. Fortunately, most of the elements for the book are already done and just need to be brought together. The other challenges involve producing the backer premiums.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

SAL MAGUNDI: This level is for comics retailers. Five copies of the Zombie Wife book ($19.95 list price), including shipping within the U.S. Retailers will get the book two months before the official publication date of October 2015.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

WINTER THYME: Exclusive 32-page pinup booklet with drawings of Wolff, Byrd, Mavis, and clients by fan-favorite cartoonists, plus the Zombie Wife book with personalized drawing by Batton, the trading cards, and acknowledgment in the book.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

DESMOND VAUGHN: The Supernatural Law Library Collection--a copy of the Zombie Wife book, plus all 7 other Supernatural Law deluxe trades (including "The Werewolf of New York"), all signed by Batton, plus acknowledgment in the book.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $165 or more
About $165

MAVIS MUNRO: The Zombie Wife book with personalized drawing by Batton inside, a signed copy of "The Werewolf of New York," plus your choice of four other Supernatural Law deluxe trade paperbacks, plus the trading cards and acknowledgment.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

JEFF BYRD: The Zombie Wife book with personalized drawing by Batton inside, the pinup booklet, the updated Supernatural Law Handbook, the Zombie Wife T-shirt, the 2015 calendar, and the Supernatural Law mousepad, plus the trading cards and acknowledgment.